The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-09-29

" er Dencn wnat was IN the grape arbor after
it would git dark, and he wouldn't set thar
long till Lula would meet him there, and
they'd set thar and talk, and old man Bright
was none the wiser. But Squire's bad luck
was with him yet, and so one night, while he
and Lula were out under the arbcr and old
man Bright was done gone to bed and thought
his daughter was in her room, the chickens
what roasted in some cedar trees letin to
squalling, and the guineas let in to making
such er fuss, that Lula's aunt stepped out in
the yard to see if somebody warnt irving to
steal the chickens, and Squire he slid off down
the path and Lula went back into her room,
and the old aunt she spied Squire's white
shirt as he got over the fence, and she flew
back into the house and woke old Bright and
told him that some niger had got all her
chickens and was running off with 'em. and
old Bright he lit outen bed and bowed his
horn, which was a signal between him and
Edd Turner, who kept pack of niger
hounds, and Edd he was up and grabbed his
horn and blowed up his dogs, and fore old
Bright had got his clothes all on, Edd was at
his house and ready for business.
at wasn't no time fore the dogs was on the
trail of poor Squire, and he hered 'em er COM
ing, and he struck off in err run to git home if
he could, and Lula she hered 'em and she was
scared to DEATH and she listened to the bark
OF the hounds as they went down the sprinp
path and over the fence and then through the
Old field and into the woods and she could
here the tearing down of fences so the horses
could git over and the voice of Edd as he set
on his dogs and she come mighty nigh going
crazy for fear the dogs would catch SQUIRE
and tear him up, but they didn't for he lust
took to er tree and set thar till the dogs all
come up, and then he surrendered and they
took him over to Justice Smiths and put him
under guard till morning and then they war
going to try him for stealing chickens and
put him in Jail. The next morning, bright
and early, Lula she come here to my house er
crying and er wringing of her hands, and she
| told my old oman just the truth of the whole
matter, and said she didn't want Squire hurt
nor she didn't want her father to find it out.
and she didn't know what to do. The old
oman called me in and told me erbout how
1T was, and just saddled my nag and went
over to Justice Smiths and stood Squire's
bail for $500 to appear at big court, and that
settled it.
"That was in the spring of 81, and Squire
he Joined military company and went to
Virginia, and he made as good rebel soldier
as thar was in the war Squire he sent let
tiers to me for Lula and I'd give 'em to the
old oman and the old oman would take em
to Lula, and to this day me or my folks can
get anything that the Simmons have got, and
they are the richest folks in this settlement,
and that fellow what passed here err while
ergo is Jasper Green, and you can tell what
he is by looking at him. You never know
what er mans gwyne to be till he dies"
Il d II
"When Sherman came down here" contin-
ued old man Punket, cold man Bright gath
cred up everything in the way of gold that
he had kept all through the war, and hid it
out Thar was not er living soul that knowed
how much he had nor what he done with it
but his old niger, Pomp. When we hered
the Yankees were apt to git down this way,
old Bright he went to studying how to hide
his money, and he trusted old Pomp with
everything, and asked his opinion as to the
safest way to hide it, Old Pomp said he'd
fix er way to hide it SO that every Yam
kee in the world couldn't find it. Bright
told him to go ahead and not let er liv-
ing soul know about it. Old Pomp he went
off and gathered up a whole bag full of
gourds and he fotch 'em and give 'em to old
man Bright, and they put all the gold and sill
yer into 'em and them old Pomp he got a
Ratchet and told his master to come ahead
and they went down in the creek bottom and
begin to look for hollow trees and every time
they got one that suited they'd put one or the
gourds into the hollow, and old Pomp would
mark the tree with his Ratchet, till they
got all the money stored away. Old Sher-
man warn't long er coming and old man
Bright, he lit out on his horse to go over the
river and the bridge was burned and he tried
to swim with his horse and that was the end
of him. He got drowned and the soldiers got
the horse, and no one but old Pomp knowed
anything erbout his money, and he wouldn't
tell, and everybody thought the Yankees
got it,"
Plunket took fresh chew of Browns to-
bacco and then continued
"Right thar is whar Jasper Green's luck
changed for the worse, and whar Squire
Simmons changed for the better. Lula was
poor then, the war was over and it was hard
times Squire came home from Virginia,
and he was glad old Bright was dead l
reckon, for he went right straight to see Lula,
and they war married, and everybody said
that Squire had changed er heap, and had
more sense than he used to have, and they
went to keeping house, and in erbout er month
up steps old Pomp-the Yankees had carried
him off-and told 'em all erbout the money in
the gourds and they got it, old Pomp remark
ing: 'Ef young miss had er married Jasper
Green he'd never knowed nothin' erbout
these here gourds.' Old Pomp is dead, and
he's the only niger 1 know that's got er
tombstone Squire and Lula put it thar on
his grave, and the reading on it is this: